[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 138 (Tuesday, October 6, 1998)]
[House]
[Pages H9654-H9659]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  TRIBUTE TO CONGRESSMAN HARRIS FAWELL

  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Under the Speaker's announced policy of 
January 7, 1997, the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Goodling) is 
recognized for 60 minutes as the designee of the majority leader.


                             General Leave

  Mr. GOODLING. Mr. Speaker, I ask unanimous consent that all Members 
may have 5 legislative days within which to revise and extend their 
remarks in relationship to the honor we wish to pay to a remarkable 
Member of the Congress and of our committee, the gentleman from 
Illinois (Mr. Fawell).
  The SPEAKER pro tempore. Is there objection to the request of the 
gentleman from Illinois?
  There was no objection.
  Mr. GOODLING. Mr. Speaker, before we honor the gentleman from 
Illinois (Mr. Fawell), I just want to make sure that my good friend, 
the gentleman from West Virginia understands that perhaps his committee 
did not do everything he wanted to but he would sure be offended if he 
were a member of the Committee on Education and the Workforce. Just to 
mention a few things that we have done, the Higher Education Act, the 
Reading Excellence Act, the school nutrition bill, the vocational 
technical education bill, quality Head Start bill, a charter school 
bill, Individuals with Disability Education Act, prepaid college 
tuition plan, job training reform, bilingual education reform, 
emergency student loans, equitable child care resolution, juvenile 
justice, just to mention a few. So do not paint us all with the same 
brush. We have been hard at work.
  It gives me great pleasure to have this special order this evening. I 
have served with Harris on the Committee on Education and the Workforce 
for 14 years, back when it was the Committee on Education and Labor. I 
have always looked to Harris for his expertise and his enthusiasm on 
labor issues to help me appreciate the finer points of labor law. As a 
matter of fact, I would be willing to say there is not anyone on the 
committee, with the exception of Harris, who truly understands labor 
law, who truly has been made it a labor love to understand it, and to 
try to improve it and try and get us into the 21st Century so we can 
survive as a great Nation.
  I also know that over those years, he may have been challenged many 
times but he had always done his homework 100 percent better than 
anyone else on the committee, and I think the only other person that I 
can remember who really understood what they were talking about when 
they talked about labor law was probably John Elernborn, who I served 
with also.
  In fact, Harris is so renowned in the House, among other things, for 
his focus on the details and for his expertise in health care and 
pension law. In fact, he speaks so lovingly about ERISA that I only 
recently found out that his wife's name is actually Ruth. I thought it 
was Erisa.
  When he first came to the committee, we Republicans were in the 
minority, and he always led the fight against any excesses proposed by 
the other side on many issues. Because of differences in our seniority, 
I never had the luxury of sitting next to him and see him take all of 
those notes so that he was ready to fire back as soon as somebody made 
a statement and they did not know what they were talking about, because 
he knew what was in the law. He always did his homework prior to any 
hearing or any markup, and then fought passionately in support of his 
position on every issue, much to the exasperation of his adversaries.
  I can remember one time when Chairman Ford became so exacerbated by 
Harris' insistence on an issue that he finally said to Harris if he 
would simply agree to drop his opposition to the amendment, Bill said 
he would retire from Congress. Harris hesitated for a few seconds and 
then he leaned into the microphone and simply said, ``Do not tempt 
me.''

                              {time}  1715

  And the room, of course, went up and laughter. The incident 
demonstrates why Harris was such an effective member of the committee 
and of the House as a whole. He always fought for what he thought was 
right, never compromised his principles, and he still kept his sense of 
humor.
  In the 14 years that he has served under our committee, he has worked 
tirelessly to better the lives of working Americans from his leadership 
on health care to his efforts to improve productivity, safety, and 
health in the workplace, and his overall philosophy that there should 
be a level playing field between labor and management. He has been on 
the front lines of all the major work force policy debates in the 
Congress, and, Harris, we certainly are going to miss you.
  Mr. Speaker, I now yield to the gentleman from Illinois (Mr. 
Shimkus).
  Mr. SHIMKUS. Mr. Speaker, Harris has been a true friend and fellow 
Illinoisan, and I will miss him.
  There is some benefit to being a new Member of Congress, and that is 
getting a chance to meet some of the great personalities of this 
Republic. And I include Harris Fawell in that. A real ``Pork Buster'' 
before pork busting was cool. And as we have now a conservative 
Congress that looks at saving money, he was in the trenches long before 
many of us realized the importance of that fight.
  But I am really here to read a statement from your staff, Harris, 
that they have asked me to read. And it is a great honor for me to 
carry this message from your staff to you in this opportunity. Envision 
me as your staff. They are a little more efficient than I am.
  ``We count ourselves tremendously lucky to have worked for you. Your 
kindness and humility, quiet leadership, the fact that you listen to us 
and care what we say shows us each day what it means to be a true 
public servant.
  ``In these cynical times, it is easy for staffers to become 
disillusioned with government service. Working with you has shown us 
how an honest and caring man of integrity can still make a difference 
here in Washington. Our time spent with you has maintained our faith in 
leadership. You have forever

[[Page H9655]]

influenced our understanding of policy with your dedication to thorough 
analysis and your commitment to knowing what is right, or as you 
sometimes put it, `20th century stuff.' We watch you earnestly and 
tirelessly advocating for these things.
  ``You inspire us to think harder, care more about each policy or 
person we come in contact with. We feel lucky that we have been 
included in the Fawell family, privy to your oatmeal recipe, popcorn 
lunches with stories about growing up as a ``Fighting Fawell,'' Ruth's 
snickerdoodle cookies, and late-night show tunes and quotes from 
Broadway plays.
  ``Among us we do not know anyone who has worked for you, or works for 
you, who would not do anything for you. Harris, they say that the ship 
reflects the captain. We count ourselves lucky to have been on the 
Fawell ship. We can only hope that we have been a reflection of you and 
that we will be, even as you sail on other seas.''
  I think that is a great tribute, Harris, and I appreciate the 
opportunity to convey those messages from your staff.
  Mr. GOODLING. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Chicago (Mr. 
Davis).
  Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Speaker, I want to thank the gentleman 
from Pennsylvania (Mr. Goodling) for yielding me this time and giving 
me this opportunity to share some comments about my colleague. I rise 
today to pay tribute to the distinguished gentleman and my colleague 
from the 13th District in Illinois, Congressman Harris Fawell. 
  Congressman Fawell has represented the 13th District and the 
constituents of that district since 1984. He has been a lifelong 
resident of Illinois and attended law school in my district in Chicago 
at Chicago's Kent College of Law. Therefore, we claim some 
representation for his success and for all that he has been able to do.
  Congressman Fawell has distinguished himself as an efficient, 
effective, and professional legislator. He has served with distinction 
on both the House Committee on Education and the Workforce and the 
Committee on Science. He leaves behind a legacy of committed service to 
his constituents and to this Nation.
  I believe that the tribute paid to him by the Members of his staff 
represents the kind of esteem in which he is held.
  The Illinois delegation will not be the same without Congressman 
Fawell. We shall miss you and wish for you all the best.
  Therefore, on behalf of all the residents of the Seventh 
Congressional District, we salute you for your fine service and trust 
that in retirement you will experience peace and contentment, that your 
years of service serves you well, and that you so rightly deserve. Best 
wishes and good luck.
  Mr. GOODLING. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman, and I now yield to 
another subcommittee chair, the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. 
Ballenger).
  Mr. BALLENGER. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman from Pennsylvania 
for allowing me to speak at this time. And as an individual who has 
served with Harris, I guess I am 2 years short of his same tenure, and 
we have been on this committee together for 12 years, as far as I am 
concerned there was always one person I could count on.
  He had one labor subcommittee, and I had the other labor 
subcommittee, and when things got rough and the Democrats, since we 
have been in control, had nothing else to do, so the whole right-hand 
side was just full of people. But on our side, Harris and I were alone. 
He was either in front, and I was standing there to second whatever he 
did. We had the votes, but we just did not have the people, so we had 
to work together on this thing.
  I still remember, because I had joined his organization. He and the 
gentleman from Texas (Mr. Stenholm) invented this idea of the Pork 
Busters. And talk about an individual who does not mind getting bruised 
and beat up. Anybody in those days when the Democrats had absolute 
control of this body here and somebody standing up trying to cut the 
budget, it did not make any difference how difficult it was, there 
was no way that we as Pork Busters were going to accomplish our 
purpose. And most of us had enough sense not to stand up and get beat 
up the way some of us did, and Harris was one. He must have enjoyed 
getting beat up, because in reality he would get up and fight and lose. 
The next day he would get up and fight and lose.

  I just have nothing but absolute admiration for somebody that will 
stand up alone and try to reduce the budget that way.
  I think the one thing that almost everybody has to admit, and anybody 
in this whole organization, is a thing called ERISA. It is a type of 
operation that protects large corporations that have plants all over 
the United States, different areas, and it keeps people, they have the 
same law, they have a Federal law that says if a company has a plant in 
New Jersey and a plant in Massachusetts and a plant in California, they 
all have the same law, Federal law, to affect their retirement and to 
affect their insurance and so forth. And nobody in this body 
understands that any better than Harris Fawell.
  In fact, most of us that listen to this discussion that Harris will 
sometimes have with his professionals do not even understand what he is 
talking about. If my colleagues have ever thought of a lawyer speaking 
insurance, those are two completely different languages, but he can do 
them both at the same time and fool us all as to what it really means.
  Our chairman of our committee, the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. 
Goodling), mentioned a whole bunch of bills that had been passed 
through this committee, and most all of the ones that were mentioned 
were education bills. And I commend the gentleman, because our chairman 
is a past educator. But Harris and I have been on the labor end of this 
thing. And you cannot get them all passed, but some of the names that 
he has come up with are just beautiful. Any artist would have said this 
bill should have passed.
  The first one I am looking at, ``Savings Are Vital to Everyone's 
Retirement Act.'' Now, who in the world could possibly be against a 
bill like that? Well, the Democrats were. There is another one, ``The 
Sales Incentive Compensation Act.'' Now, there is nobody that would 
recognize the free enterprise system existing in any better fashion 
than that particular method. ``The Faculty Retirement Incentive Act.'' 
Harris was always full of incentives one way or another.
  And I think the greatest one of all is the ``Paycheck Protection 
Act.'' Now that one I would have gone down forever and ever if we could 
have ever passed that. Most of these bills we actually got out of the 
House, but somehow there is a body on the other side of the building 
over here that has to have 60 votes to cut off a filibuster. And once 
they do not have that 60 votes, a lot of Harris's bills and my bills 
just never appear again.
  But with beautiful names like the ``Working Family's Flexibility 
Act,'' who could ever vote against something like that? That is a 
fabulous idea. And the ``Team Act.'' Anybody that recognizes the way 
this country operates must know that the ``Team Act'' is one of the 
most important things that we could have passed, but we did not.
  And I would like to add one more thing about Harris as the chairman 
of our little subcommittee where I sat with him. For those people that 
do not know the way we operate up here, there is a little machine in 
front of the speaker. It has a red light, a green light, and a yellow 
light, and speakers are limited to 5 minutes. When the green light is 
on, your five minutes are working. The yellow light comes on, and you 
are just about to get turned off. And the red light comes on, and you 
are through, supposedly.
  But Chairman Fawell always was kind enough to say that I think I have 
overused my minute or so, maybe even 10 minutes or so, but he was 
always willing to give the Democrats the same benefit. I thought it was 
unbelievably kind of him, especially one day when I first got on the 
committee and did not realize the way Harris operated.
  He was sitting right next to me, and he made the motion that he would 
be allowed to talk on the bill, and he talked, and his 5 minutes was 
up, and I was going to come next. Harris said, ``Cass, will you let me 
have a minute of your time?'' And being a very naive little freshman I 
said, ``Sure, go ahead.'' And so Harris got the word, and he used up 
every minute of my 5 minutes. I have never been so deeply hurt.

[[Page H9656]]

  But anyhow, he is a wonderful guy. He is the most dependable, honest, 
sincere individual I have ever known, and I cannot say anything good 
enough for him, and I hate like the dickens to see him leave. Like I 
told him always before when I had my hearing in my subcommittee, he was 
there, and we could take care of each other. We would do the same thing 
for each other. And now that he has run off and left me, I think my 
choice of words earlier was ``I am dead meat now.'' When the time comes 
around and the Democrats want to get me, I will not have that white-
haired gentleman there taking care of me.
  Mr. GOODLING. Mr. Speaker, prior to my yielding to the gentleman from 
New York (Mr. Solomon), I wanted to say that I did not get down in time 
to pay tribute to him, and I certainly want to do that. I certainly 
have enjoyed my service with the Congressman from New York. I also 
enjoy visiting his district, particularly Saratoga. And he has just 
been a wonderful, fair chairman on the Committee on Rules.
  Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from New York (Mr. Solomon) at 
this time.
  Mr. SOLOMON. Mr. Speaker, I thank the gentleman for those flattering 
remarks. And, yes, I do represent the oldest racetrack in America and 
the most beautiful. It is called Saratoga, New York, and my good friend 
from Pennsylvania comes up there quite often, because he has a love of 
horses the same as I do.
  But he mentioned that I am retiring, and I guess the only time that I 
have ever become upset with Harris Fawell is when I found out that he 
was retiring as well. Because I had made up my decision a while ago and 
I figured as long as he was here, there was going to be somebody on 
this floor who thought like Jerry Solomon and who would look out for 
the taxpayers of this Nation. That is really why I am here today to pay 
tribute to him.
  The greatest compliment we can give to any Member of this Congress is 
when we walk on the floor and the vote is taking place and we look up 
there and see how that Member voted. ``This Member'' being Harris 
Fawell. You do not even have to look any further. You do not have to 
find out what the bill is. All you have to do is vote exactly like him.
  Mr. Speaker, he was not here more than 6 months when I realized that 
I could walk on this floor, and we are all busy, and if Harris Fawell 
was voting ``no'' on the bill, I did not have to have any other 
information. I voted ``no,'' too. That is how much respect I have for 
him and his philosophy.
  I just cannot say enough for the man. He has been one of the 
outstanding Members. I was doing an interview with one of his press the 
other day, I do not know whether it has been in the paper yet or not, 
and the reporter said, ``What best represents Harris Fawell?'' And I 
said, ``Two words: Due diligence,'' because when Harris Fawell, either 
in committee or on this floor, when he rose to speak, he knew what he 
was talking about. He has done his homework. He never came on this 
floor without being prepared, and that is a tribute to a great man.
  So, Harris, my time is up, but I wanted to come down here and tell 
you, I will not be here to miss you, but I will miss your being here to 
represent the views of the people who are really concerned about the 
spending that goes on in this Congress to make sure that it is done the 
right way. And you certainly have done that, my friend, and I salute 
you and wish you the best of luck.

                              {time}  1730

  Mr. GOODLING. Mr. Speaker, I would now like to yield to another 
subcommittee chair, the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. Hoekstra).
  Mr. HOEKSTRA. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for yielding, and it 
is good to be here to pay tribute to my colleague, the gentleman from 
Illinois (Harris Fawell).
  It was in 1993 that I came to Washington for the first time, and I 
believe out of that class of 47 Republican freshmen I was the only one 
that said my first choice for committees is to serve with the gentleman 
from Pennsylvania (Mr. Goodling) and with the gentleman from Illinois 
(Mr. Fawell) on the Committee on Education and Labor. That was at a 
time when we were looking for people to serve on that committee.
  And I have never regretted that decision, because it has enabled me 
to work on a couple of issues that I have a passion for, education and 
labor, but it has also enabled me to work with, I think, some very good 
people here in the House of Representatives, the chairman being one and 
Mr. Fawell being the other.
  But since Mr. Fawell is the one who has decided that he is going to 
leave the rest of us here to fend for ourselves, I think now is the 
time to express my appreciation to the gentleman from Illinois for the 
work that he has done.
  I came here new to the legislative process, new to the process of 
understanding America's labor laws, understanding the spending habits 
of this Congress, and Mr. Fawell has taken the time to take many of us 
through that process, to outline for us what was good in Washington, 
areas that maybe we ought to take a closer look at, and also being very 
articulate in pointing out the things that were not right here in 
Washington.
  I want to give my colleagues a couple of areas where I think Harris 
really helped us as new Members. Harris has been here for 14 years. We 
thought in 1993, the class of 1993 and 1995, that we were the real 
people that broke the mold; that we were going to be the ones that were 
going to take us to a balanced budget, and I think, in many ways, we 
helped do that. But to be able to get to that point, a foundation had 
to be laid, and a foundation had to be laid by people in the 1980s and 
early 1990s that highlighted the information and put out in public view 
the information that said the American government is too big and it 
spends too much and here are some examples.
  Harris Fawell, through his efforts in Pork Busters, laid that 
foundation. The rest of us were able to build off that foundation. It 
was, what, just 6, 7 days ago that I think we reached the objective 
that Harris has been fighting for for 14 years, where we closed our 
books and we will have a surplus for the time since 1969. Harris Fawell 
has been instrumental in making that happen.
  Harris, you can leave with the knowledge that you have created a 
foundation; that we have a surplus that will be somewhere in the 
neighborhood of $70 to $80 billion. And we now need to build off the 
work you have created to start paying down the debt, to start reforming 
Social Security to make sure we can save it, and to start to reducing 
taxes. But without the work that you did in the 1980s, we would not 
have been able to move and tackle these issues now in the 1990s.
  For the last 12 months I have had the opportunity to travel around 
the country and take a look at reforming American labor laws; what 
works and what does not work. At the same time, we could talk to Harris 
Fawell and get much of that information, because Harris understands the 
types of reforms that we need to make in America's labor law to make 
sure that we are the most competitive country on the planet today. He 
has been a champion.
  He has championed not only some of the reforms that we have seen, but 
some of the activities that were so important in the company that I 
worked in in the private sector. I think the best example of that is 
the TEAM Act. Harris has taken the lead in making sure that we pass 
legislation that really unleashes the potential of every American 
worker by allowing them to be more fully engaged in their workplace and 
working together, and taking 1930s and 1940s era labor laws and saying 
there is a new way to do it, there is a better way to do it, and this 
is one of the things that we need to do.
  So, Harris, you have been a champion on the TEAM Act and a number of 
other labor reform issues that I hope that the next Congress can move 
forward, and we can take the vision you have had and we can implement 
those types of ideas to ensure that we will be competitive into the 
next century.
  No discussion about Harris Fawell would be complete without talking 
about ERISA. This is the challenge that I believe the chairman feels, 
that I feel, that I know the gentleman from North Carolina (Mr. 
Ballenger) feels, and that is who is going to take us through the world 
of ERISA. We always knew that whenever there was a discussion on ERISA 
and what the implications of a legislative or a policy

[[Page H9657]]

change would be, as our eyes might kind of glaze over and say we do not 
quite understand all of this, we always knew that there was a person 
that we could go to who knew the ins and outs of a very important and a 
very complicated piece of legislation, but who could give us a very 
clear, not necessarily always concise, but when we had a question, we 
knew we could go to Harris and we knew we could get the right answer.
  Now, the good thing here is I have had the opportunity to talk to 
Harris and ask him how we are going to get through this, and Harris has 
said he is going to be more than willing to come back and take us 
through that mine field and make sure that we continue doing the right 
thing, or at least we understand what we are doing.
  But, Harris, you have been a wonderful colleague. You have taken the 
time and energy necessary to take someone new through the process. You 
have taken your time and energy to teach us what you have known. And I 
hope that you have taught us well, I hope that I have learned well, so 
that I can take this with me into future Congresses and we can continue 
to carry forward much of the visions that you have had.
  Thank you very much for your 14 years, and congratulations on some 
great work here in the House of Representatives.
  Mr. GOODLING. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from California 
(Mr. Dreier), and I want to say to the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. 
Hoekstra), that I think he missed four words in his closing remarks, 
``as a paid consultant'', I believe.
  Mr. HOEKSTRA. He actually did not say that.
  Mr. DREIER. Mr. Speaker, it is a great privilege for me to join in 
this ``Farewell to Fawell.''
  As we listen to some of the remarks that have been made, the 
discussions that centered from the gentleman from Michigan (Mr. 
Hoekstra) about issues like ERISA, and I know there has been a great 
deal of discussion about higher education, I think I would like to move 
slightly beyond the higher education area to say that Harris Fawell 
played a key role in teaching me an awful lot, and one of the most 
important things had to do with an issue called electrometallurgical 
treatment of nuclear waste.
  This whole issue of nuclear waste disposal is something that came to 
my attention from some people that I was meeting with in California. 
And late one night we had the chance, with Mr. Fawell calling me a half 
dozen times to make sure that I came over to speak on behalf of a very 
important amendment that dealt with the issue of electrometallurgical 
treatment. I want to congratulate him for the tremendous persistence 
that he has shown in dealing with these very, very important and 
complex issues.
  One of those issues that, frankly, got a great deal of attention, 
something of which I am extraordinarily proud, is that Mr. Fawell and I 
had the privilege a couple of years ago of both being categorized as 
``super heroes'' by an organization known as Citizens Against 
Government Waste. All it meant was that the two of us were working long 
and hard to make sure that we would deal with the horrendous problem of 
government waste. And it is one that continues to go on and on and on. 
And that is why, as I heard earlier mentioned, Harris has been really 
at the forefront of this issue, with an organization known as Pork 
Busters, in trying to get rid of all of the waste in government.
  That is why I am particularly saddened that Harris has decided to 
leave, not only because he has been a great friend to so many of us, 
but because he has really been in the vanguard of that issue of 
focusing on particular areas where we are able to try and reduce the 
size and scope of government and encourage individual initiative and 
responsibility.
  So I would like to say that even though Harris told us months and 
months and months ago that he was going to be retiring, and many of us 
were very saddened then, as we head towards the waning days of the 
105th Congress, I think that we will recognize that the contributions 
that Harris Fawell has made for the years that he has served here are 
very, very great, and he will be sorely missed when the 106th Congress 
convenes in January.
  Mr. GOODLING. Mr. Speaker, I yield to the gentleman from Michigan 
(Mr. Knollenberg), a distinguished member of the committee.
  Mr. KNOLLENBERG. Mr. Speaker, I thank the chairman for yielding, and 
I am delighted to be here this evening to take part in this tribute to 
Harris Fawell, who I serve with on the committee.
  As the gentleman from Pennsylvania (Mr. Goodling) just mentioned, we 
have commonality on the Subcommittee on Employer-Employee Relations, a 
subcommittee that I enjoy very, very much and, in particular, I think I 
enjoy it because of Harris Fawell.
  Harris is someone that I am going to miss very much, his presence in 
this body and on that committee, and, frankly, in the cloakroom or 
wherever I might have caught him. Because along with his ability and 
capacity to deal with subjects that are beyond the realm of most of us, 
I say that honestly, he had a sense of humor that went well beyond that 
and made him into, I think, a genuine friend of this entire body and 
someone that we all looked up to.
  I marveled at the comments of the gentleman from California (Mr. 
Dreier) about the Pork Busters. I recall when I first came to Congress 
that was one of the events I guess I looked forward to because, again, 
it was Congressman Harris Fawell that led the way.
  And, incidentally, even though he was against pork of all kinds, 
sometimes there were those who suggested that corporate welfare was 
something that he should be aware of. And Harris, in defense of honest 
cases where corporate welfare was not corporate welfare just because 
somebody said it was, he stood up, defended the right of some of these 
programs to stay in existence because they were meaningful and they did 
not fall into the trap of corporate welfare.
  As my colleagues have already heard, Harris Fawell is the only 
Member, I think of either the House or the Senate, who truly 
understands ERISA. Some would wonder why anybody would tackle that 
subject, but Harris Fawell did, and he does understand it and it shows 
in his work. His leadership on this issue will be sorely missed in this 
body.
  When I think of Harris Fawell, I think of three words: I think of 
thoughtfulness, of thoroughness and being considerate. And he is that 
way with committee members, he is that way with the public, and he is 
that way with everyone.
  He has never been shy about tackling big issues while showing, as I 
said, an interest in everything from ERISA, to Salting, and the 
National Labor Relations Act. And I have to confess I do not know why 
anybody would be interested in the National Labor Relations Act the way 
Harris was, but he dug into it and literally assessed it, analyzed it, 
and scrubbed it with his own opinion.
  Harris Fawell is cordial to work with. He has been willing to listen, 
and he has conducted himself in a very friendly manner throughout all 
of his dealings with Members of Congress and with this body. Perhaps 
most importantly he has demonstrated a deep knowledge of the issues 
that have been before the Subcommittee on Employer-Employee Relations.
  It has been, for me, a true pleasure to serve under his leadership. 
And his presence, as I have said, will be sorely missed in this body. I 
wish Harris Fawell all the best in the future, and his family the best.
  I presume that we have alluded to Ruth at some point along the way, 
because he has a very lovely wife, and she, in her own right, is a 
remarkable person. So to them and their family, whom I have had a 
chance to meet just last week, I wish them the very, very best in the 
future.
  I suspect part of their future will be along Lake Michigan shore, my 
home State. You have chosen a lovely spot to at least spend part of 
your time. So to you, Harris Fawell, and your family, all the best.

                              {time}  1745

  Mr. GOODLING. Harris, it is your time to fight back if you wish. I 
would recognize the distinguished gentleman from Illinois.
  Mr. FAWELL. Mr. Speaker, I simply want to say thank you very much to 
my colleagues who came down this

[[Page H9658]]

evening to say some nice words. I do very much appreciate that. I will 
admit that I shall miss Congress and all of you folks. It gets in your 
blood and after 14 years you just cannot walk away from something like 
that without having ambivalent emotions. The 14 years have been so very 
rewarding as far as I am concerned, the people I have met here in 
Congress. There is an old saying that everybody you meet every day of 
your life is your teacher. We have here a teacher who is our chairman, 
the gentleman from Pennsylvania, who certainly is as revered and 
respected as any Member in this Congress, who has given so very much to 
education, and labor, also, being the two subject matters of the 
committee that he heads. But I can say that about all of the Members 
who took some time to drop in here this evening, for instance. I have 
learned from all of them a great deal.
  You hope as you get along in life you will do that more. And when I 
heard that letter from the staff, I have had as we all have over the 
years a lot of different staff, mostly very young people who come in 
and do not know a great deal about what is going on here in Washington, 
but they learn very, very fast. I would say that I have learned there 
from all these young people, and the committee staff of our Committee 
on Education and the Workforce, and especially the staff that served in 
the Subcommittee on Employer-Employee Relations. I have had the 
privilege of helping to hire some of them as they came along, brilliant 
attorneys, top-flight people, people who basically have a credo in life 
that my job is to serve and to help people, and then say thanks, too. 
They are that kind of people. They are people that they do like that 
ERISA statute, they do understand the arcane labor laws which have to 
be understood to be able to speak about them and do the right thing for 
the working people of America as well as for the small businesspeople 
and the businesspeople in general in America. With all the staff I have 
learned so very much. I think I had been to Washington twice in my life 
before I came here. I remember flying in the first time and saying, 
``Oh, there's the Capitol'' and so forth and so on. But I have learned 
to actually love this city of Washington, D.C. Ruth and I have always 
lived right in D.C. We found the neighborhoods where we have lived to 
be peopled with just tremendous people that we have grown to like and 
to love, and as I have said, all the young people who come and serve in 
Congress.
  My colleagues. My gosh, there are brilliant people in this Congress. 
It is a wonder, on both sides of the aisle, you figure all the talented 
people we have, why we do not have a better product. It is a case where 
the parts do not add up to the total as they should. There is a lot of 
political rancor at times that takes place, but I am just here to say 
that this body is composed of men and women that are extremely 
talented, they are backed up by staff that are a wonder, young people, 
and when I see this and I see people coming to Washington, I can 
remember a couple coming in just a couple of weeks ago, a mom and a dad 
who looked very, very young to me, and little Samantha and her sister 
Maria. Their eyes were just big. They loved this country, they were 
just ecstatic about a tour that we arrange for our constituents, going 
through the Capitol Building. I see so many people coming to Washington 
and giving so much. The SAVER bill, for instance, a lot of people from 
all over the country at their own cost, coming in to share their 
expertise and their beliefs. I guess I could sum it up by saying 99.9 
percent of the people in Washington, D.C. are tremendous people, are a 
loving people who want to serve, who want to help. That even includes 
the news media out there. They are breaking their backs really to try 
to make sense about what all we do down here and so forth. To me, it is 
14 years of a tremendous education. I never could have gotten it any 
other way.
  I came to Congress as an accident because I was on a group that was 
to select John Erlenborn's successor and when we had two people fink 
out on us, eventually the finger pointed to me, and I ran. I just want 
to say thank you to all of you folks who have expressed these kind 
words. I shall always remember my experience in the U.S. Congress, 
which is winding down now to the very last days, theoretically not 
until January 3rd of next year, but I will not be hanging around these 
halls too much longer.
  Thank you very, very much for being thoughtful enough to arrange 
this, Mr. Goodling.
  Mr. CLAY. Mr. Speaker, I rise to express good luck to our colleague, 
the gentleman from Illinois, Mr. Fawell, who is retiring from the House 
at the end of this Congress. It has been my privilege to serve with Mr. 
Fawell on the Committee on Education and the Workforce throughout Mr. 
Fawell's congressional career. During that time we have more often 
taken opposing points of view regarding legislation, particularly 
legislation affecting the labor laws. However, our differences have 
been political, never personal. Further, though our views may have 
differed on most issues, those differences have not prevented us from 
working together when we have been able to find common ground. When we 
have found common ground, we have successfully enacted good 
legislation.
  In the last Congress, I joined with Mr. Fawell in support of 
legislation to provide an exemption for police and fire departments 
from the Age Discrimination in Employment Act. In this Congress, I 
supported the efforts of Mr. Fawell, and the gentleman from New Jersey, 
Mr. Payne, to enact the Saver Act. I also participated in the national 
summit on retirement savings that the Saver Act created. I believe both 
the first summit and the subsequent summits that will occur as a result 
of enactment of the Saver Act will serve to better educate workers 
regarding the importance of retirement savings. As a result, more 
workers will have financially secure retirements.
  I would also like to take this opportunity to commend Mr. Fawell for 
his work on the Faculty Retirement Incentive Act. Recently enacted as 
part of the Higher Education Act, this law permits certain voluntary 
retirement incentive plans for college faculty. I was not initially a 
supporter of this legislation. However, Mr. Fawell worked diligently to 
address concerns raised by myself and others and the final product is 
one in which we all, and especially Mr. Fawell, may be proud.

  Mr. Fawell first came to Congress in 1985, following the retirement 
of John Erlenborn. Mr. Erlenborn had a substantial reputation in this 
body as both a leader for conservative positions on labor issues and 
for his role in the enactment and subsequent development of the 
Employee Retirement Income Security Act. Many thought Mr. Erlenborn's 
shoes would be difficult to fill. But let me say for the record that, 
from my perspective, Harris, you fully filled the shoes of your 
distinguished predecessor. I wish the best for you and your family in 
the years ahead.
  Mr. BILIRAKIS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to add my voice to those 
honoring Congressman Harris Fawell.
  Anyone who wants lower taxes, affordable health insurance, or 
retirement security can thank Harris Fawell and consider themselves 
fortunate that he has served in Congress for the past 14 years.
  Dedication to public service has marked Harris' life. He was elected 
to the Illinois State Senate at the age of 33, and he served in that 
body for 14 years. He has built an impressive list of legislative 
accomplishments since his election to Congress in 1984.
  He has championed small businesses and advocated measures designed to 
help workers obtain affordable health insurance. Recently, he served 
with me on the House Working Group on Health Care Quality to develop 
the Patient Protection Act, legislation that expands access to health 
care and provides protections for people in managed care plans.
  The Patient Protection Act includes Harris' Association Health Plan 
proposal which allows small businesses to band together through 
national trade associations to obtain affordable health insurance for 
their employees. The Chicago Tribune called it ``the best piece'' of 
the Patient Protection Act because it provides the best patient 
protection of all--insurance.
  Congress also enacted the Savings Are Vital to Everyone's Retirement 
(SAVER) Act, legislation Harris introduced to educate Americans about 
the importance of retirement savings. It created a successful National 
Summit on Retirement Savings held in June.
  I could go on and on about Harris' legislative accomplishments, but I 
would like to close by reading from an opinion editorial written by a 
congressional page I sponsored this summer, George Palaidis. He wrote: 
``People don't run for Congress just for the paycheck. Members run 
because they want to do something to help our country. Not too many 
people in this Nation are willing to sacrifice a sometimes higher-
paying job and the normal routine of life for something they believe 
in.''
  Mr. Speaker, Congressman Harris Fawell exemplifies this ideal. He has 
served his constituents, his state, and his country with honor, 
integrity, and an abiding commitment to do what is best for this 
Nation. I am proud to call him a colleague, and more important, a 
friend.
  Mr. GOODLING. There are many others, Harris, who wanted to 
participate,

[[Page H9659]]

but you know the scheduling around here, as I do. Again, we thank you 
for all you have given to the committee, to the Congress, to the 
country, to your constituents and wish you the best, whether you are 
with ERISA or whether you are with Ruth, I wish you the best both ways.

                          ____________________